Seed and seedpods - fresh, dried, or ground into powder[1438 ]. A bitter flavour, they are generally only eaten when better foods are not available[128 , 1050 ]. The pods were eaten[1050 ]. The seeds are round and typically 5 - 7mm in size[1050 ]. Catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii = Senegalia greggii) is a thorny shrub or small tree of the bean family that provides a limited but noteworthy food resource. The edible stage is the immature seedpods, which appear in early summer soon after flowering. At first, the pods are small, dull green, and often hairy. They can be gathered and cooked before the seeds begin to develop; once the seeds enlarge, the pods become too tough to be used as a vegetable. Raw pods are inedible due to extremely high tannin content and cyanide-based compounds. They must be boiled in several changes of water until the liquid stops turning brown. This process reduces tannins, neutralizes toxins, and improves the flavor. Thoroughly boiled pods have a taste somewhat like green beans, though with a persistent bitter note. Unfortunately, boiling does not remove the fibrous, stringy texture, so chewing remains a laborious process. Even after long cooking, much of the pod remains as fibrous debris, though the edible portions can be chewed out. Mature pods turn reddish-brown and twisted, containing flat, round, shiny black seeds. These beans have an intensely acrid, unpleasant taste, and no preparation method is known that makes them edible. Their consumption is not recommended. In contrast, the immature green pods—though difficult to chew—can serve as a survival food when carefully prepared. Gathering the pods is straightforward, though the plant’s sharp thorns make harvesting a painful task without care [2-3].

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The pods are used to make an eyewash to treat conjunctivitis[1050 ]. The leaves and pods, when ground into powder, will stop small amounts of bleeding and soothe chafed skin or diaper rash. When this powder is made into a tea, it can be used as an antimicrobial wash or drunk to treat diarrhea and dysentery. Native Americans used catclaw acacia to soothe sore flank and back muscles of their horses[1050 ]. The flowers and leaves in tea can treat nausea, vomiting, and hangovers[1050 ]. The thick, sticky catclaw acacia root, when made into tea, treats sore throats, mouth inflammations, and coughs[1050 ].

Agroforestry Uses: Catclaw acacia is a valuable plant for use in restoration projects in sites such as asbestos and mining waste, and other disturbed sites. It is usually planted as young trees, but is also sometimes used in seed mixes. By using tillage, mulch, and site-adapted seed along a pipeline corridor in Arizona, the revegetated site closely resembled nearby undisturbed sites just 10 years after planting[1050 ]. Transplants were 100% successful on an abandoned asbestos milling site, even though there was considerable rodent herbivory in the area[1050 ]. Seedlings also survived on a gold mine spoils site in the Mohave Desert. Survival rates were not reported[1050 ]. Catclaw acacia was one of many species used to revegetate disturbed sites (road side cuts, mining sites, eroded hillsides, and gullies) by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and other cooperators. In southern desert shrubland areas, catclaw acacia established well when transplanted, spread well by seed, and survived on alkaline or acidic soils. In categories of natural vegetative spread, growth rate, soil stability, and disturbance tolerance, catclaw acacia received mid level ratings[1050 ]. Other Uses: The wood is strong, hard, tight grained, and heavy. It is used for cabinets, turnery, and fencing. The contrasting reddish brown heart wood and yellow sapwood makes it valuable for making souvenirs[1050 ]. The wood has been used as a fuel[1050 ].

Special Uses